Family re-opens Jarales community store

Jarales

The Midway Grocery and General Store in Jarales will soon re-open its doors, after being closed for more than three years.

Owners Bryan and Tabitha Chavez will open the store at the corner of Jarales and Mill Roads with some old-fashioned country hospitality. If a customer comes in for some coffee and doughnuts, he or she is welcome to sit down and read the paper at a table in front of the store.

“You become family with your customers,” said Tommie Cordova, Chavez’ aunt, who ran the store for many years before Chavez decided to open the doors again.

The corner store will have many of the same items, such as bread and milk, in addition to a line of vehicle products, such as oil, antifreeze and brake fluid. Also, a limited variety of herbs and essential oils will go on sale.

Tabitha’s mother owns the herbal store, Back To The Basics, in Bosque Farms, and Tabitha will draw on that stock. Seniors and those people with physical handicaps will have the opportunity to get free delivery with a “$10 minimum purchase,” Chavez said.

Ice-cold bottles of soda figure to be a popular item, Chavez said. He hopes to pump a lot of gasoline and diesel, too. Chavez is not sure what brand of gasoline he will sell yet, but there will be unleaded regular and two grades of diesel for farm and highway use.

On grand opening day, customers will get a free bag of peanuts. Chavez is grateful to his friend Joe Blevins for “doing such a good job of painting the outside of the store,” in prepartion for opening day.

For Chavez, it’s like coming home again. He remembers running around the same store with his cousin Casey Cordova when they were both youngsters.

“We got into a lot of trouble back then,” Chavez said. “I remember breaking the glass, where the candy is, at least once.”

Chavez also has a job driving a truck, which means his wife, Tabitha, and sister, Elizabeth Barreras, will be handling most of the cash-register duties.

Chavez and his wife have three children: Clayton, 6, Lerryssa 2, and Steven, 1.

Quick Facts

Midway Grocery

Owners: Bryan and Tabitha Chavez

Services: Groceries and fuel

Location: Jarales

Hours: Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m